Chua makes Hanoi grade

Reigning SEA Games 100m freestyle champion Darren Chua is on course to defend his title after hitting the regional meet's A qualifying time at the Liberty Insurance 51st Singapore National Age Group Swimming Championships (SNAG) Major Games Qualifier yesterday. He clocked 49.92sec to come in second in the men's 100m freestyle final at the OCBC Aquatic Centre, 0.33sec behind his 2019 Philippines Games gold-medal time that saw him upset defending champion and compatriot Joseph Schooling.

The 20-year-old was among three swimmers who met the Games' A time of 50.08sec yesterday, with the others being Jonathan Tan, who won in 49.69sec, and Mikkel Lee (50.01sec). Competition is stiff with several swimmers chasing two spots in the blue-riband event, but Chua welcomed the challenge.

He said: "It definitely makes us work for it, push each other harder and makes us more competitive.

"The ultimate goal is for all three of us to make the Olympic A timing together as a team."

While Chua, Tan and Lee made the cut for this year's Hanoi Games, the trio insisted that their focus is still very much on meeting the Olympic A time of 48.57sec.

But given how this was just their second meet since the coronavirus pandemic hit - and the first that was tapered since the 2019 SEA Games - they felt that there were still positives to take away from their race.

Lee, 18, said: "This meet is good for me to check where I'm at and it's good to know that I'm fully tapered so I can fully compare this to before the pandemic and how I see improvements in my swim with regard to the training I'm doing."

With the SNAG and December's Singapore National Olympic Qualifier held behind closed doors, competing in a different environment without spectators is another thing that the swimmers have had to adjust to.

Tan, 19, said: "Prior to this meet, we were training hard and focusing on our flaws from previous meets. What we have to work on is racing in an environment with no supporters. It's a different situation. I guess some of us perform better or feel more excited when there are people in the stands. We don't have a choice, it's a process and everyone will get better at it."

The first day of the SNAG, also a qualifying meet for major Games, got off to a slow start with none of the swimmers hitting Olympic A times.

Apart from Tan and Chua, there were several other swimmers who made the Olympic B cut. In the 200m butterfly final, Ong Jung Yi clocked 1min 58.71sec, which also bettered the SEA Games A time of 2:00.53, while Christie Chue touched the wall in 55.89sec in the women's 100m freestyle final.

The meet will run till Sunday.